


Behind Closed Doors

by Lalaen



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Nanny, Falling In Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-10-16 13:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10572366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalaen/pseuds/Lalaen
Summary: Ignis has been Noctis' live in caregiver since a young age. They both prefer relative solitude - Noctis even struggles with attending school - so it's a little surprising when he stops to help a young girl crying in the park.





	1. Chapter 1

Though Ignis couldn't see Noct at the moment, he wasn't really concerned. Now seven years old and recently entrusted with his very own iPhone - heavily locked down and with no data plan, thank god - he more often than not behaved like a small adult. That was no doubt thanks to Ignis at least in part, as he'd treated Noctis that way since he was a toddler. Unless Prompto or Luna was around, there was little reason for them to go to the park, but Regis insisted still that his antisocial child should be given the chance to socialize. Seeing as he was both independent and intelligent, trying to keep him in line of sight at all times was a fool's errand. Textbook balanced on his lap, Ignis continued to take notes on financial law. Once he reached the end of the page, he cast around for his young charge. If he wasn't nearby, he was probably pretending to fish in the six inch deep 'creek', and it was about time to go check on him. 

He was just putting his notes aside to stand up and look for Noctis when he saw a very familiar little black-clothed figure coming towards him. He was surprised to see a tiny girl clinging to Noct's hand. Usually, he wasn't keen to let others touch him; even if it were Ignis it had to be on his own terms. As they got a little closer, it became clear that the girl was crying. Ignis set his mouth in a thin line of displeasure. He did not particularly like children that weren't Noctis, and when they were upset that was tenfold. This one looked both very young and very upset. 

"I found her," Noctis muttered when he approached the bench. "Can you fix her arm?" He tugged the whimpering girl closer and pointed to her elbow, which was sporting quite a decent scrape. Wasn't this wonderful. 

Sighing, Ignis crouched down in front of the girl. It was not something he did often, if ever, with Noctis, but this child was no older than four or five. "Where are your parents?" 

"Can't find my big bro..." she reached out her hands for him, and Ignis realized with discomfort that she wanted him to hug her or pick her up. Even regardless of how much he didn't like the idea of physically comforting a small child he didn't know, he had the distinct feeling it might give passers by the wrong impression as well; considering his age and gender. 

"Very well, Noct and I shall help you find him. Let me look after that cut of yours, first." He carried a fairly robust first aid kit, considering that Noctis liked to go on little adventures through difficult terrain and his best friend was prone to falling down. He pulled the kit out of the side of his bag removing a package of alcohol wipes. "What's your name, miss?"

"Iris," she'd stopped crying as much, though she was still definitely pouty. "Why do you talk funny?"

"I was born somewhere else," not an abnormal question from children, many had never heard an accent before. "This is going to sting for a moment, but you will be fine." Telling children that always seemed to keep them quiet. He quickly cleaned her elbow, then took out a bandaid and pressed it on before she had a chance to give him so much as a tiny whimper about the rubbing alcohol.

"It's a boring one," she said petulantly, scuffing her shoe in the grass. Ignis gave her a curt nod. 

"Noct prefers adult bandages."

Noctis kicked at him half-heartedly, probably just to show that he had in fact heard that. Ignoring him, Ignis pulled out his phone. "Do you have a number for your brother? Perhaps in one of your pockets?"

Iris made a confused noise, and Noct plucked at the silver engraved bracelet on his wrist. It wasn't dissimilar to a piece of med-alert jewelry, and had been much more important before Noctis had his own phone. 

"That's his number."

"Oh. Ummm, no," at least she wasn't really crying any more, but this was shaping up to be something that might take most of the afternoon; and Ignis was not particularly keen on that. He sighed and grabbed the girl under the armpits, lifting her easily into his arms. So easily it was almost startling - she was probably only half of Noctis' weight. Where exactly should he start?

"Noct, where did you fi-"

"Hey!"

He turned immediately, subtly positioning himself between whoever this was and his charge. There was a young man in a tracksuit jogging towards them, and before Ignis even got a decent look he thought _fuckboy_. 

"Gladdy!" Iris chirped, twisting around in his grip to wave. Well, at least this wasn't going to take up their day after all. 

The brother was flustered from running around the park, and clearly pissed for the same reason. Ignis was just taking note of how fit he was - mostly because it was impossible to miss - when the other man came right into his personal space. It was repulsively alpha male, and the type of behaviour Ignis would not cater to. He didn't so much as back away an inch or tip his chin to look the man in the eye; lifting his gaze to give a hard stare that said wordlessly how he would not be intimidated. 

He certainly was large, though, not just fit. Now that they were within a foot of each other, Ignis had a moment to ponder just how few times he'd met someone with half a head of height over his own. His build would have been impressive without that. 

_Fuckboy._

"What're you doing with my sister?" 

"Noctis found her. Why doesn't she have your contact information?" Ignis said disapprovingly. 

"Because she's four and can't remember a f- a phone number," he growled. 

"You could write it on her hand," Ignis raised an eyebrow at him. He felt Noct move and looked down to see the boy - who clung cautiously to his belt with one hand - raising the other to show the wrist with the bracelet on it. "Yes, Noct. It amounts to the same thing." He bent to pointedly set the little girl back on her feet instead of actually handing her over, and watched as she excitedly grabbed her brother's hand. 

"Gladio... I wanna play with Noctis!"

She was ignored. "You look pretty young to be such a responsible dad."

Ignis gave him just as snarky a look in return. "I'm nineteen, thank you. His caretaker, certainly not his father."

Gladio - presumably that was his name - actually gave a derisive snort of laughter. "You're a nanny."

Ignis was disliking this man more with each passing moment, but he was secure enough in his own masculinity that he didn't take that as the insult it was clearly meant as. "Yes. One could say it that way."

It was becoming increasingly obvious that Gladio was unsettled by the lack of impact he was making, and that amused Ignis to no end. His smirk grew as it occurred to him exactly how he'd get the last word. "If this is how you flirt," he said quietly but very pointedly, "I can only assume you never get dates."

Iris apparently found that very funny, because she hung off of her brother's hand and giggled. Gladio himself started to flush. Victory. It was his choice if he wanted to use homophobic language in front of the children; Noctis knew what it meant. 

"Ha. You wish," he was still trying to look smug. 

"I don't. I value courtesy."

"Gladdy," Iris whined, grabbing a handful of Gladio's shirt and tugging. "I wanna go play with Noctis!"

The expression on the man's face was something Ignis could sympathize with; the resignation of being ordered around by a young child and the dread of telling them no. "... dunno if he even wants to play. He's older than you. Let's go."

She made a shrieking, whining sound that made Ignis boundlessly thankful Noctis was not like this. He was really not interested in children as a rule, and this was exactly why. "Unfortunately we have a schedule to keep, young lady," he said, voice smooth. He also more than ready to be out of this situation. "Some other time?" Noctis remained silent, as usual. 

Iris nodded, scuffing her toe on the ground. She was still pouting, but he assumed there was only so much he could do about that. 

"C'mon." Gladio scooped her up effortlessly with one arm. He started to turn, but his gaze stopped on Noctis, and Ignis realized almost immediately that it was because the boy had locked eyes with him. 

"You're an idiot," Noctis muttered in a cold tone not at all dissimilar to Ignis'. 

"Noct," he couldn't really scold him because he was too busy keeping his mouth tight so he wouldn't give away how amused he was. Gladio looked taken aback. 

Noctis put his nose in the air, giving Ignis an annoyed look that said 'what? You think so too.' It was extremely hard not to laugh. 

"You're the one hanging out with a girl half your age, kid." It was an embarrassingly bad comeback, especially when one was speaking to a child. Ignis refrained from pointing out that it was terrible because he had the distinct feeling Gladio knew. That was satisfying in and of itself. 

"Bye bye," Iris said, cheerful again. Noctis gave her a quiet, halfhearted wave, watching Gladio very closely as he started to turn away. 

"Goodbye to you too," Ignis said pointedly, breaking into a smirk that was more of a smile once the other man wasn't facing him. God, Noct must be spending too much time with him. The child was a savage. 

As usual, they walked home in relative silence. When it was just the two of them, words were very minimal; and that was something Ignis appreciated. Honestly, Noct seemed to as well. After a day of school or other activities where he had to converse, he'd be visibly emotionally exhausted and often barely responsive for most of the night. Ignis could sympathize, though he knew he'd have to be much harder on Noct as he got older about continuing to function past the point of emotional exhaustion. 

Since today was Saturday, Noctis was to complete any schoolwork before dinner so he would be free to do as he liked for the rest of the evening. Admittedly, it was Ignis who enforced these schedules, but he found that adhering to some kind of routine made unmotivated Noct much less difficult about doing the things he had to do. 

While the child sat at the kitchen island with his school binder open, Ignis set about preparing something he would actually eat for dinner. That was always a challenge, considering how he turned his nose up at anything that was healthier than a plate of frozen chicken nuggets. Though he did like macaroni and cheese and a few other questionably healthy dishes that Ignis made, none of them were things he would serve every day even if he didn't enjoy the challenge of creating new dishes. Their silent proximity was comforting and familiar, and by the time Ignis was ready to serve the dish - today a sweet curry on rice that Noctis was bound to just pick the chicken out of - the schoolwork appeared to be almost done. 

"Those are vegetables," Noctis muttered darkly as Ignis sat down across from him. 

"They are potatoes," Ignis said flatly. Only half of them were potatoes and the other half were parsnips. Noct was generally so good at reading his lies that it was disturbing; especially considering his age and the fact that Ignis was an almost infallible bullshitter. Shockingly, Noctis never doubted him in regards to food. It was the one time he probably should. 

Of course, he ate it with no further complaint. After dinner he was allowed to sit and play video games, and Ignis went about his domestic tasks of tidying the kitchen. He usually went back to his own schoolwork once Noct was asleep, unless he had an imminent deadline. It wasn't that the child was usually high maintenance or distracting, he just preferred to do it that way. 

The Caelum house was excessively large for just the two of them and one pet cat - the master bedroom at the end of the hall upstairs spent the vast majority of the time untouched, as did the two guest bedrooms. Ignis' room, where he had lived since he was fourteen, was across the hall from Noct's. The main floor boasted a foyer and formal sitting area, a study, and a dining room that could seat twelve in addition to the large kitchen and living room. The basement remained locked; although Ignis was privy to the location of the key if the need arose. 

Truth be told, the only room they frequented besides their bedrooms and the upstairs bathroom was the conjoined kitchen and living room. Ignis would retrieve books and papers from the study; but he always felt it belonged to Regis even more so than the master bedroom, despite the man almost never entering it. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was almost always that room in which they spoke in person, but every time he opened the door he half expected to see Regis sitting behind the heavy mahogany desk. 

Noct had tried on multiple occasions to convince him the sitting room and dining room were haunted, but Ignis was certain it was just because he always kept the lights off in that part of the house. The oppressive size and silence of such a house would wear on any child's imagination. 

There were also very few indications that a child lived here. There were juiceboxes present in the fridge, but not a single toy outside of Noctis' room and none of the clutter that usually came with children. He was also not interested in any of the bright, colourful characters that were usually plastered on everything from toiletries to food products, so even in the bathroom there was only his smaller toothbrush and a stool so he could reach the sink. He preferred to use Ignis' regular bath products and toothpaste, almost actively resenting things that were advertised as 'for kids'. 

Ignis' own room was clean and organized, but clearly lived in. The double bed was always made, the desk was tidy though usually covered with a spread of papers and textbooks. Whatever novel he was currently reading sat on his nightstand - right now it was 'Running With Scissors' - and a flatscreen was mounted on the wall opposite the bed, where he and Noct often watched movies together. The cat usually joined them. 

Two-thirds of the way through the book, he settled into bed to read a few more chapters. He wore an undershirt to sleep simply because Noctis often had nightmares and came to his bed. Ignis knew he should start turning the child away, but he didn't have the heart for it. Even as he read he watched the opening in the door with his peripheral vision. He had a clear view of Noct's partially open door through his own, something that was comforting enough to cancel out his irritation at the glow of the hallway nightlight. 

...

The weather was poor enough for the next few days that they could excuse avoiding the park, but by Thursday the sun was out again on the walk home from school. They waited up to bring Prompto with them, with the hope it would make Noctis enjoy himself marginally more. Ignis took Noct's backpack and put it over one shoulder, receiving a myopic look from the child that said very clearly he wanted to go home. In equal silence, Ignis told him he knew full well, but now it was time to go and play regardless. 

Noctis sighed heavily at him and kicked his toe in the dirt. Prompto, clueless to their silent conversation as usual, grabbed Noct by the elbow and tugged him. He already had his little plastic camera out, and Ignis grabbed his arm with a sigh of his own and wrapped the safety strap around his wrist. Prompto took excellent care of his camera, but he was also unbelievably clumsy. 

"Thanks, Iggy!" He said cheerfully. 

"Ignis," Ignis corrected, but they were already running off. He had no idea what hell Prompto originally summoned the nickname from, as Noctis had never used it; but it was not a habit it seemed like he could be cured of. That child was a very good example of many reasons Ignis usually did not like children. 

For half an hour or so, Prompto and Noctis scampered around his general vicinity doing whatever it was children did. Ignis would profess to not really understanding what that was, other than that when Prompto was around, a camera became involved. As long as Noctis was above his baseline of miserable, it didn't matter much. 

A very small figure came barrelling across the grass and slammed into Noctis. Immediately on the alert despite knowing it was just a child, Ignis started forwards a step before he realized he'd seen this child before. It was Iris, the little girl from a few days ago. Normally Noct making friends would be a good thing, even if they were substantially younger than he was, but Ignis found himself wrinkling his nose as he thought on the fact that her obnoxious brother was certainly nearby. Scanning the nearby area, it was not hard to spot the other man, considering the size of him. 

Apparently looking at him was a mistake, because he seemed to notice immediately and started towards Ignis. 

"Good grief," he muttered to himself. He wasn't completely sure how this would play out without the children standing there listening. "Didn't lose track of her today?" He called once Gladio was at a reasonable distance. The man shrugged, not seeming to take offence. Hm.

"She really wants to play with your kid. Hope he doesn't mind, I know she's a bit young for him." He grinned like he thought that was a great joke. He was all smiles today; very interesting. Ignis was admittedly wary, but he wasn't reading any aggression from the other man right now. "That blonde kid isn't yours too is he?"

"No, friend of Noct's." Ignis had never actually met Prompto's parents, and was fairly sure they were inattentive at best. One would think they'd like to at least speak with him if their child was asking to stay overnight at the drop of a hat, due to his age if nothing else. "He's often tagging along."

There was a moment of silence during which Ignis very much hoped he'd give up and leave. Then, "hey, so how'd you know?"

What? Ignis glanced over at him, startled. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

Gladio had his hands shoved in the pockets of his track pants, and as unlikely as it seemed he appeared to be a little flustered. He still met Ignis' eyes, so it wasn't enough to knock that alpha male pride out of him. "You know. That I'm into dudes." Though he wasn't precisely embarrassed of it he was not used to saying it out loud, that much was certain. 

"Ah," Ignis said, because he hadn't expected that at all. "I was fishing, and I suppose I caught one."

Gladio chuckled. "Fuck. Guess I look like a guy to snap and call you a fag. Sorry for disappointing." He was just the tiniest bit pink on the tops of his cheeks, and Ignis got the distinct impression that he didn't want people to think he was that kind of person. 

"I wouldn't call it a disappointment," Ignis gave him a thin half-smile. "I fact, I rather like being surprised."

"Seems like not a lot surprises you."

Though Ignis nodded smug agreement, he was genuinely surprised that this man was less than completely heterosexual. He normally read people fairly well, though he supposed that didn't often directly include their sexuality. He generally had other priorities on his mind than finding a compatible sex partner; between caring for Noct and making high grades in a double major he had very little time for anything else. He watched Iris excitedly showing Noctis and Prompto something. 

"I'm Gladio," Ignis gave him a sidelong glance and saw that he was holding out his hand to shake. Good lord. He could only assume he'd impressed the man last time by not submitting to his macho behaviour. Fine. 

"Ignis," he took the offered hand with a much firmer grip than he knew people expected of him, and shook. "Noctis' nanny," he added dryly. 

Before Gladio could try to make some terrible joke, Ignis' phone started to ring. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen before answering, though he already had an idea who it was. "Yes, sir?" 

"Hello to you too, Ignis." Regis sounded amused. "I trust you're both well?"

"Yes. At the park, currently." Ignis felt a familiar insistent tapping at his side and couldn't help but smile at how fast Noctis appeared when he answered his phone. 

"I'm glad to hear he's out getting exercise. His schoolwork is going well?" It was an oversimplified answer, of course. A few days ago he'd thrown a fit over a small reading assignment that'd taken hours to recover from. It more than likely did not help that Ignis was not well equipped to handle emotional episodes. 

"Yes, sir. He has been completing everything on time." Noctis was still tapping at his hip, his blue eyes huge and determined. 

"I just wanted to check in. I'll let you know when I plan to stop by the house next." That surely meant it would not be soon. 

"Would you like to speak with him, sir?" Ignis cut in quickly. Noctis immediately stopped patting him. 

"I'm afraid I don't have time at the moment. Give him my love."

"Certainly." He looked down at Noctis and shook his head curtly. He hated the resigned look the child got - it was much older than his seven years. Briefly but with incredible tenderness, he carded a hand through Noct's thick black hair. They said their goodbyes and Ignis hung up, sliding his phone back into his pocket. If playing had perked Noctis up any, he was now at least as miserable as he was before. 

Ignis supposed he should tell the child his father was busy, though he felt that was too close to excusing it. Instead he just stared across the grass towards the other two and gave Noct an encouraging little pat. 

"The boss?" Gladio asked casually as Noctis headed back to Prompto, dragging his feet. 

Ignis responded with a curt nod, still looking at the slump of his charge's shoulders with guilt he knew should not be his. 

"Old man's not around much, is he?" The other man didn't seem to need to wait for an answer. "Sucks. Mine didn't have much time for me either."

It had been an extremely long time since Ignis had seen his actual parents; he'd lived with his uncle most of his childhood. "I too can sympathize," he didn't elaborate, would not be remotely inclined to even were Gladio not a near stranger. 

After some banal but not unimportant small talk - mostly things like what grades their respective charges were in - all three children ran over to them. Noctis looked at least content, and Ignis took that as a good sign. Iris immediately started shouting at Gladio in a voice that was so fast and high that Ignis couldn't understand what she was saying even if he could bear to listen. 

"Stop whining and ask me proper," Gladio grunted, leaning forwards to get more on a level with the children even while his sister was trying to climb unsuccessfully into his lap. 

"Noct asked if I wanna come over! He has a kitty."

Gladio sighed and scooped her onto his lap with one arm before shooting Ignis a sidelong glance. "That okay with you?"

"Perhaps better suited to the weekend," he looked down his nose at Noctis, silently telling him he should know better and he has homework to do. "I'll give you my number."

Gladio started grinning. "You flirting with me?"

Was he? He certainly saw the question coming. He quirked his lips slightly in return as he pulled out his phone to exchange texts. "I'll leave that up to you."


	2. Chapter 2

This was a huge fucking house. 

It was the first thing Gladio thought when he and Iris pulled up at the address Ignis had given him. Obviously, anyone who had a live in nanny would be pretty rich. He'd expected something on the bigger side, but this was literally a mansion. Iris obviously didn't give a shit, because she was four and she was going over to play at someone's house. And they had a cat or something. 

Was he attracted to Ignis? Yeah, for some reason. Looking at pics he was normally into built guys, he would've guessed this one was way too skinny for him. It was something about how he made such fierce eye contact, or at least Gladio was pretty sure that was it. He did love a challenge. 

And he was pretty thankful to that shitty little emo kid for being his wingman here. He couldn't complain about a better chance to flirt, especially when he didn't have to worry about his sister running off. He loved her and all, but Iris could definitely be a brat. She was just the worst somewhere like a park, always managing to disappear in a split second. Then of course he looked like a negligent asshole chasing after her. 

"Get outta here," Gladio said, ruffling his sister's hair as he leaned over to pop open her seatbelt. 

"Can I knock on the door, Gladdy?" She asked as she fumbled to open the car door. 

"Sure."

He trailed behind his hyper sister, locking the car and taking another good look up at the house while she headed up to knock. Not like she could reach the doorbell. Holy shit this place was big though. Obviously he had some idea the family was rich just judging by the live in nanny thing, but this was a legitimate McMansion. 

"Why hello, young lady," Ignis had come to the door while he wasn't paying attention. "Do come in." 

Gladio'd had some hope that he'd get to see Ignis dressing a little less stiffly at home, maybe a tight tshirt and jeans; but here he was exactly as formal as before. 

"You always dress like that?" Gladio stepped up behind his sister and scooped her up with one arm. Seeing as he was just in a tank top again he felt kind of underdressed. 

"Hello to you too," Ignis said dryly, stepping to the side to let them in. "In answer to your question; yes, generally speaking."

"This house is crazy."

"I know," Ignis said, with a small sigh. "It's rare anyone is here other than Noct and I. It's a touch excessive."

Noctis appeared from somewhere - what a weird kid, honestly - carrying a huge ugly grey cat under the armpits. It just kind of hung there like a stuffed animal, and when Iris saw it she screeched painfully close to Gladio's ear. He let her down because fuck that happening again, and she made a beeline for Noctis and the cat. 

"This is Dante," he said quietly, hiking the cat up in his arms a little. 

"I told you not to hold him like that," Ignis scolded, going over to his kid and taking the cat while Noctis moved his arms; then bundling it into them properly. Or Gladio presumed it was properly, he hadn't exactly held a lot of cats. It looked about right. Iris closed in to pet it and Ignis came back over, disdainfully picking long grey fur off of his shirt. How did he find shirts that fit him so well, anyways? Must be custom. Gladio's Dad had some of those. 

"Not a cat person?" 

"He's alright. I'd prefer shorter hair," Ignis had his eyes on the kids - seemed he was always watching Noctis like a hawk, but he also seemed kind of neurotic so maybe that wasn't surprising. 

"Never had one. Guess that's why she's so interested," Gladio watched his sister petting the cat so enthusiastically that the skin was pulled back on its face. It looked hilarious. 

"Don't worry, he's a good natured cat," Ignis said, "as long as they don't genuinely terrorize him - which Noct is much too fond of cats for - he'll play along."

"You trust that kid a lot," Gladio grunted. It was a casual observation, but one he'd certainly made since he couldn't trust Iris to stay put for three seconds while he turned around. 

"For the most part, he's well behaved. Hard headed, but well behaved," Ignis said with a small smile. "I suppose your sister is a little terror?"

"Pain in the ass, yeah." 

"Do you want a drink?" When Gladio didn't answer right away, he added, "an alcoholic one."

"You're underage," Gladio grinned at him - never expected a guy like him to bend any kind of rules. 

"Ah, but I am an adult; and this is private property," he was all smooth self-assurance, and Gladio was so into it he actually felt stupid. 

"I want juice," Noctis said firmly. Apparently he was listening. 

"Yes, your highness," how he said that with a straight face was anyone's guess, Gladio couldn't call Iris 'princess' without some sass in his tone. He turned and went into what was presumably the kitchen, and Gladio followed him because he really didn't want to get stuck hanging out with the kids. Flirting totally aside, with dad literally always at work he was always taking care of Iris; and that meant he didn't get to spend a lot of time with people his age. He didn't even hate kids. They were usually pretty okay, even cute, and he loved the hell out of his sister even if she drove him nuts. Still, conversing with just a four year old all day got unbearable. 

"What kind of juice even is that?"

"Blueberry. You're following me," he didn't bother to turn around, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice. 

"Your kid is weird. Iris just likes Koolaid and Sunny D." Gladio came up next to him, arms crossed over his chest. The kitchen was more or less immaculate. "... you have a maid too?"

Ignis looked up at him like he was trying to judge if this was some demeaning joke about the nanny thing. "Not really. There was a housekeeper here when I was younger; but now I do the vast majority of cooking and cleaning." He was paused in the act of putting the juice away, his hand resting on it as he looked up at Gladio. 

What the fuck, Gladio barely loaded the dishwasher half of the time. "I know I already mentioned, but this place is pretty damn big. You'd have to be cleaning all the time, right?"

Giving him the tiniest of smiles - obviously deciding he wasn't being made fun of - Ignis turned and put the juice back in the fridge. Was he really still wearing those gloves inside? "A cleaning service does come by once a month to do the in depth tasks. I only have to maintain it, thankfully. I'm not fond of dusting blinds and steaming carpets." He had this weird way of saying stuff that made it hard to tell if he was playing around. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?"

"You know I drove here."

"Ah, of course. Another time then." He was pouring himself something though. 

"You normally drink at two pm?" Gladio said, bemused. 

"My god, no. This is just iced coffee," he said as he sent Gladio an entertained look over his shoulder. "I'm no lush."

"I'd get it if you're just stuck here with a seven year old all the time," he certainly needed a beer after a day watching Iris. 

"Noct isn't that bad," Ignis said as he walked back past him to the living room, but he was clearly amused. 

Noctis eagerly held up his hands for his weird juice, which Ignis placed in them. The cat was in Iris' lap and did not look pleased about it. 

The kids kept each other pretty well amused, leaving Ignis and Gladio free to chat. It was far from anything deep and meaningful, but Gladio managed to learn a few things about him - including that he was double majoring, holy fuck. Sometimes Gladio was a little resentful that he didn't have a choice but to follow in his dad's footsteps, but he was thankful he didn't have to figure out something to go to school for. He liked learning but always got bored with the work, couldn't be assed to put any effort in. Ignis actually seemed kind of surprised that he liked to read, though, and they eventually ended up discussing books. It was no shock that a guy like him was into reading, but it was cool to have intelligent conversation about that kind of thing. Most of Gladio's friends didn't read much, or at all. 

Eventually the kids went to play in Noctis' room, so talk turned to them. Naturally. Ugh, Iris wasn't even his kid and Gladio felt like a dad. 

"Noctis has daddy issues, then?"

Ignis gave him a small and unbearably attractive smile. "That's a way to put it. Isn't it only natural that he'd want his parent around?"

"Guess so, especially cause I'm assuming something happened to mom," Gladio could relate to that - at least Iris couldn't remember their mother. 

"Indeed. A fatal accident when Noct was three or so. I suppose there is an element of separation anxiety as a result."

"Any kid would feel that way," Gladio's arms rested on the back of the couch. "Iris just thinks dad's busy because he hates her or something. But she's four, right. Not a lot of common sense."

"A prevalent problem with young children," was he teasing? It was hard to say with him, but Gladio was leaning towards yes. 

When he next checked the time, he noticed Iris was overdue for her afternoon nap. Ignis offered to make them dinner, which made Gladio more than sure he wasn't as cold as he tried to make people think. Iris got pretty bitchy without her nap though, so it would have to be a pass on that. Maybe next time, right? Ignis hadn't seemed totally offended by that, so maybe there actually would be a next time. 

Couldn't blame a guy for trying. 

...

Noctis had gone to sleep hours ago, but Ignis was still up working on a paper. Admittedly, he'd stopped working on the paper an hour or so ago and was mostly perusing online articles and cooking blogs. Even as militant with his time as he was, he could accept that he needed some time to relax, even if it was only after completing a satisfactory amount of work and between the hours of two and three am. 

He was surprised to hear his phone buzz, but immediately reached for it. Few people texted him, and the only one it was likely to be at this time was Regis, hopefully informing him of an unexpected stop in at the house or similar news. 

It was Gladio. He furrowed his brow, not precisely sure what to expect - the man had been something of a pleasant surprise so far. 

'Hey sry for late text need kid advice'

It'd been three days since Gladio and Iris had visited, and they hadn't really spoken since. Ignis had found him perhaps a bit flirtatious when he'd been over; though it was hard to say if that was due to actual interest or just his charismatic personality. Ignis had half expected text messages immediately after exchanging numbers, but it seemed his new acquaintance did flirt very casually. That, or he realized inane texts were not a likely way to get into Ignis' good graces. Hm. 

'I will do my best.' Ignis replied with no small amount of amusement. He was Noct's caregiver and had been for some time, but no one would consider him an expert in child care. 

He really didn't even like children. 

'Fuck im happy youre still up'  
'She's sick and dads not answering his phone. Figured you would have some idea how to handle this?'

Still bemused that Gladio had thought to text him, Ignis began to type out a small novel. 

'Put some of her blankets and pillows in the bathroom and sit with her. Remove any dirty clothes, if she's very ill don't bother putting on clean ones for now. Give her whatever medication you have, I don't believe any stomach medications are harmful to young children. There should be a dosage recommendation on the side. You may want to read to her to distract her, if she cries too much it will certainly not help. Ah, and tie her hair up if you can.' The thought of Gladio having experience styling his little sister's hair was entertaining, but Ignis didn't doubt it at all. He seemed quite the doting brother. 

'I'm on it. Don't go to bed yet k?'

'I wasn't about to, so you needn't worry about my busy schedule.'

Ignis returned to his reading and browsing, though he did keep his phone in his peripheral vision. It was nearly half an hour before he received another text; around the time he'd start considering going to sleep. 

'Still up? this sucks'

'Yes. However, it is most likely something she ate, and in that case it will not last much longer than tonight.'

'Good cause I dont really wanna catch it either'

'Is she calmer now?'

'Ya. Not sleeping tho'

'I usually make Noct ginger tea to settle his stomach. I don't suppose you have some.'

'Uh not even totally sure how to make tea tbh.'

Making tea was so self explanatory that Ignis was astonished someone wouldn't be able to do it. 'I'm sorry to say you are an idiot.'

'Sorry to say ive been called worse'

At least Gladio was willing to quip back at him - that was second best to being left alone. After a few more moments of silence, he texted again. 

'Shit I think she's actually asleep. Can't just leave her in the bathroom but not really room for me to sleep here'

'Hm. There is room for me on the bathroom floor with Noct, so that's admittedly what I do.'

'Ok well you live in a mansion and you're also a chopstick.' 

As much as Ignis wanted to act offended, he could easily see how Gladio would have trouble fitting comfortably on the floor of almost any bathroom. 'I'm sure you can carefully take her to bed. I'd recommend making sure there's a bin nearby.'

'Ya I guess. Can usually carry her without her waking up.' There was a pause of several moments, then, 'yeah, worked. You saved my ass so you know' 

'Lucky you. Happy to be of help. Make sure Iris is drinking fluids first thing tomorrow and only plain toast or crackers for breakfast.'

'Kids pretty much suck'

'Agreed. Get some rest.'

'Yes sir lol'

Ignis smiled to himself as he plugged his phone in for the night. What an idiot.


End file.
